Virgin Atlantic recently revealed their intentions to join Skyteam alliance on early 2023. I have been speculating that there may not be capacity in their fantastic Clubhouse lounge at Heathrow for all Skyteam elite members and business class passengers without overcrowding it. Currently, the lounge has been pretty busy when I have visited, and a substantial increase could affect the experience negatively.
I caught up with the Virgin team on their press trip this week to find out whether they were concerned about overcrowding in the lounge when they join Skyteam. It was good to see that Virgin has already calculated that although there are not that many Skyteam airlines in T3, the frequency of some of the airlines such as Air France and KLM could lead to the lounge being too busy. While those flights only have a small business class section, there could be multiple status passengers on one flight – only Flying Blue Platinum members can use the Heathrow Clubhouse currently. Add in the extra Skyteam airlines and the KLM/Air France business class and it could be enough to make the difference.
When Virgin Atlantic originally launched Upper Class, it was seen as a hybrid between first class and business class. When you think about some of the features like the Upper Class Wing and the experience in the lounge, it is definitely a step above a standard business class experience – particularly if you compare it to BA’s Club lounges at Heathrow, for example.
So Virgin plan to classify its Heathrow Clubhouse as a first class lounge in terms of Skyteam, which will mean only those on a first class ticket from Skyteam will be able to access it. The existing arrangement for Virgin Atlantic and Delta customers should stay the same. This seems a very reasonable compromise since it’s not like the Skyteam airlines don’t have their own lounge arrangements anyway. However, it may be slightly disappointing to those with Skyteam status that were looking forward to the Clubhouse. There was no mention of any changes to those with Air France or KLM Flying Blue Platinum status that can currently use the Virgin lounge.
But that’s not the end of it if you usually travel in business class or have status in Skyteam. In the previous article, I mentioned how Qatar handles its lounge passengers, with both Heathrow and Doha featuring separate lounges for status passengers who do not meet its lounge criteria. (I’ll be reviewing these lounges in Doha very shortly). Virgin is now considering something similar with a business class lounge for Skyteam members. Space will probably be one of the factors at Heathrow in terms of this plan coming together, as obviously, this is something at a premium in Heathrow that does not come cheap.
It’s good to see that Virgin Atlantic has got a good plan to keep the customer experience at the Clubhouse at the same high levels as today but that they are also looking at offering something for those that would not be able to access the lounge. It would be something unique for Virgin, and I look forward to seeing what they decide to do.
2 comments
So as a Flying Blue elite traveling on a Virgin flight where would I go? Currently as Platinum I can get into the Clubhouse would I still be able to?
There was no change in the current rules mentioned.
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